Birds (Aves) are a group of animals with backbones. They evolved from dinosaurs.

Technically,
birds are dinosaurs.[2]

Birds are warm blooded. Their feathers help prevent loss of body heat.[3][4] Modern birds do not
have teeth. They have beaked jaws. Birds lay hard-shelled eggs. They have a high metabolic
rate and a strong but lightweight skeleton. Their hearts have four chambers.

Birds live all over the world. They range in size from the 5 cm (2 in) bee hummingbird to the 2.70 m
(9 ft) ostrich. There are about ten thousand species of birds. More than half of these are passerines,
or perching birds.

Birds have wings. The wings develop differently in different species. The only known groups of birds
without wings are

are inherited. Examples of this include flocking, mobbing of predators and cooperative breeding and
hunting, [10][11]

Most bird species are socially monogamous; they usually mate for one breeding season at a time.
They may mate for years. It is rare that these birds will mate for life. Other species are polygynous, in
these species, one male will mate with many females. Birds species are rarely polyandrous. In these
species, one female will mate with many males. Birds produce offspring by laying eggs. The eggs
are fertilised by sexual reproduction. The eggs are often laid in a nest and incubated by the parents.
Most birds take care of their offspring after hatching. Some birds, such as chickens, lay eggs even
when not fertilised. Unfertilised eggs do not produce offspring.

Many species of birds are eaten by humans. Domesticated and undomesticated birds are sources of
eggs, meat and feathers. In English, domesticated birds are often called poultry and undomesticated
birds are called game birds. Songbirds, parrots and other types of birds are popular
as pets. Guano is bird manure. It is harvested for use as a fertiliser. Birds figure throughout human
culture. About 120–130 species of birds have become extinct because of human activity since the
17th century. Many more species had become extinct before then. Human activity threatens about
1,200 bird species with extinction, Things are being done to protect them.[12] Recreational bird-
watching is an important part of the ecotourism industry.

Bird colours[change | change source]

Female (left) and male common pheasant, illustrating the

difference in colour (and also size)
Birds come in many different colours.[13] These colours can be useful to a bird in two
ways. Camouflage help to hide birds from predators. Brighter colours can also be useful to birds.
They can be used to identify the bird to others of the same species. Male bird are often brightly
coloured while the female is camouflaged. The logic is as follows: the female carries the "precious
package" of developing eggs. The male has to defend a territory. His colour and song are used to let
others know that "this place is occupied".[14]